A Hunter's Game
by Thatfreakacrosstheclassroom
Summary: Takes place during the first book. What if Rory was called and Gale volunteered? What would Gale's Games be like? Several of the same tributes will be in this story. They are creation of Suzanne Collins.
1. Chapter 1

My knuckles go white from my grip on the windowsill. I don't even look out the window, just stand with my head down, eyes shut. _Breathe, Gale._ I think to myself. _Breathe._ I can still here Effie's voice ringing through the speakers. The shrill sound of her voice calling Rory's name. I volunteered. I had to.

The door unlocks and opens. My mother, Vick and Posy come in. Ma walks right into my arms, holding me tightly. "I love you, Baby. No matter what happens, I will always love you. I'm proud of you, Gale. I love you," she whispers. I hold her closer to me. "Rory's coming in after us." I nod against her and squeeze my mom one last time. As soon as Mom lets go, Vick throws himself at me, knocking the wind out of me a little bit. He holds on as if he can keep me here if he tries.

"Come home, Gale!" he cries. I kneel down so that he's looking down on me, and cup his face in his hands, my thumbs wiping away his tears. "Come home," he whimpers.

"I'll try. I'll be fine, don't worry," I murmur to him. I look over him, trying to implant him in my brain. Short. Olive skin, Seam hair and eyes, and scrawny. He has potential to grow into a strong man one day. I hope I'm here to see it. I bring him into me and he rests his head on my shoulder. With probably a minute left to spare, Ma hands Posy over to me, and she smiles. She doesn't get what's going on. She doesn't understand that I may not come home. She doesn't get this yet. And she shouldn't. She's four. She's innocent, that's how she's supposed to be. I kiss her, hold her close, then feeling Ma hold all of us together. The doors open, and they rip my family away from me.


	2. Chapter 2

The door opens and Rory walks in. I can see all his fear in his eyes. He comes straight into my open arms and holds on tight. "Why'd you do it?" he asks quietly.

"I promised that you wouldn't go into the arena," I mutter, stroking his hair hair.

"But, Gale, you'll come home right?" he whispers.

"I'll try."

"But what if you don't?" I stay silent. I don't want to answer his question. There is no "what if?" I won't come home, I already know it. He repeats his question. "I worry about you, Gale. I want you to come home. But what if you don't?"

I pull him away, both my hands on his shoulders. He isn't crying but there are tears in his eyes. I'm proud of him. I know he's trying for my sake. "If I don't come home then I'll be safer than I could ever be here. No one can hurt me. I'll be with Dad again. I'll be safe. Alright?" I say softly. He barely nods, slowly coming back into my arms.

"I don't know what I would have done without you, Gale." I kiss the top of his head, and he buries his face in my chest. I can feel him shaking. We stay like this for a while. "Give 'em hell, Gale," he finally says. I laugh, ruffling his hair. I know that he would'd have a chance in the arena. No twelve year old has ever made it out alive. Not a single one. I want to keep him alive, I wasn't going to let him go into that arena and he knows it. Even Ma knows. As long as I'm in the Reaping, none of my brothers ever will. But this was my last year. If Vick was called... The door slams open. "Gale!" Rory screams as they rip him away from me. He reaches out for me, and I grab his hand. Peacekeepers hold me back and all at once, they've taken my heart and smashed it. I lean against the door, my forehead on the warm wood.

I pound my fist against the door in frustration. I turn and slide to the floor and stay there until they come get me.


	3. Chapter 3

As we pull away from our home, Maesie, the seventeen year old girl from the Seam, cries. I catch sight of my house. Vick was kicking a stone outside, and then it was gone. I storm off, slamming the door open so hard it makes a cracking sound. "Mr. Hawthorne!" Effie shrieks behind me.

"Bite me!" I call back. I keep going until I reach the last train compartment. It's full of windows. I pace, back and forth, back and forth. Tears sting my eyes but they don't fall. I pace, and occasionally kick a loose carpet, but I just pace. Focus on nothing but pace. The dark night seeps in around us and distant lights of another district lights the horizon. Eventually, I sit, looking out, wondering what district it is. Thinking myself back home with Posy laughing, Ma cooking, and my brothers planning to tackle me from behind. I think of the woods. I think of Katniss.

The compartment door opens. "Hey," a deep voice drones.

"What?" I growl.

"Dinner." I sigh, looking out the windows as I go.

In the dining car, Effie and Maesie already sit at the table. I sit down across from Haymitch. Maesie is silent, glancing at me every now and then. Effie sits there awkwardly. "Well, _you _aren't entirely hopeless," he says, pointing his knife at me. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," I answer between mouthfuls. He smirks.

"May I just say, you have got some nerve taking the spotlight away from your little brother!" Effie laughs, finally finding a terrible topic.

"Well ya know what?" I growl. "I may never see him again, I didn't want him dead!" I hear my own voice rise. Maesie looks frightened. Haymitch smiles.

"You would make a _wonderful-"_

_"_Shut it, Pinkie!" I almost yell. Haymitch laughs. I look down to realize my knife is in the table. Effie sees it and gasps.

"That is M-"

"NO ONE CARES!" and I storm out with that. Geez, I'm good at that today...


	4. Chapter 4

The prep team looks at me like I'm their prey and I hate it. They're voices are so_ annoying_. I try to be calm and listen to Haymitch's advice and I think i've done a good job. The Tribute parade went well, I was, ya know, lit on freaking fire, but I guess that's nothing new. I scored a 10 for setting snares, and I've eaten enough food to feed my family for weeks. I feel guilty for eating like this when who knows how much they've eaten in the past few days, or even if they've eaten at all.

Portia comes in after all those idiots leave and she carries something multi-colored, like black and blue and red and orange. It's skin tight and I already hate it. It's supposed to look like fire, but I don't see it. "Okay, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm not wearing this."

It took me about thirty minutes to argue my way into a black collared shirt and black pants. If you play up the fact that you're probably going to die within the next week to a woman, you can get yourself pretty far.

* * *

I sit in my chair on the stage, next to Maesie and the boy girl from Eleven. Seeing her just makes me frustrated. She's twelve. No doubt about it. If anyone should make it home, it should be her, but looking at the Careers, she's not going to make it too far. Caesar looks like an idiot as always, but I can't really hate the guy. He tries. He really does. I have to give him credit for that.

Glimmer, the girl from One, her mentor wanted her to go with sexy, no doubt. Can't blame them...The guy from her district doesn't sound so smart...Cato, the boy from Two is huge and by far anyone's biggest competition. He's my age, and my height. He's stronger than I am, but I know I'm faster. The girl from his district, well, I don't like her. I don't really pay attention to the others, the little girl from Eleven is sweet. She's young, and I've seen her training, she's quick and agile, almost like a bird I guess.

Maesie isn't too impressive to be honest. She's too shy. She's a town girl, never had too much hardship in her life.

Then it's my turn. I come up and take my seat across from him. "Gale Hawthorne, you look interesting tonight," he comments, smiling. I raise my eyebrows and feel a small laugh come from my lips.

"_I _look interesting. That's new," I mutter to myself, but of course the microphone picked it up.

* * *

I watch my brother on the stage, he doesn't take on an act and if he is, he's doing a terrible job. He's Gale. My brother. My brother who saved my life, possibly with his own. I want him to come home. Caesar asks a couple questions he doesn't answer, which doesn't surprise me in the least. "So Gale, you volunteered for little brother, why?" Gale suddenly get's very serious and I can see his jaw tighten. I'm on the edge of my seat. The whole crowd is silent.

"Caesar," Gale starts, leaning forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "my father died when I was fourteen. My brothers were eight and six, and my mother was pregnant. I've done everything I could to keep them alive and I promised him that as long as I'm in the Reaping, he would never go into that arena. He wouldn't have to go through this because he's a kid that I've watched grow up and I'm not losing him this way." Silence. It takes Caesar a moment to come back with a question and my brother stays silent the rest of the interview. He won't look at Caesar and I now he's upset, but he hides it but looking a little more lazy than sad.


End file.
